The present invention relates to a magnetic card transaction apparatus having a magnetic card reader; more specifically, it relates to a magnetic card transaction apparatus having a function to prevent incorrect reading of a magnetic card.
A magnetic card reader is attached to a magnetic card transaction apparatus which performs various transactions using a magnetic card, such as an ATM found in a bank. At a card insertion area of a magnetic card reader, in general, one finds the following in order in the direction of a card to be inserted: a card slot through which a magnetic card is inserted or ejected; a card insertion detector which detects the magnetic card inserted therein; a guiding path which guides the magnetic card inserted from the card slot to the inside of the apparatus; and a shutter which opens and closes the guiding path.
When a user inserts a magnetic card into a card slot, a magnetic strip at the end of the inserted magnetic card is detected by a card insertion detector; then, a shutter is opened such that the magnetic card can be taken in. The inside of the shutter has a pair of card transferring rollers which forms a transferring means for a magnetic card; the inserted magnetic card is held to be taken in by the card transferring rollers.
In order to avoid undesired sensations, such as a sensation of the magnetic card being stuck, from being sensed by an user when a magnetic card is inserted, the shutter is opened while the pair of card transferring rollers are driven as soon as insertion of the magnetic card is detected by the card insertion detector; therefore, the magnetic card can be smoothly taken following insertion of the magnetic card by a user.
On the other hand, the amount of projection of the card from the card slot at the time of ejection is maximized in order for the user to readily remove the card from the card slot.
In a magnetic card reader described above, insertion of a magnetic card is such that the end of the magnetic card is inserted to a card slot then the card is transferred by a pair of card transferring rollers at an even speed. Similarly, ejection of a magnetic card is such that the magnetic card is transferred by the pair of card transferring rollers at a steady speed until the card is actually ejected from the card slot.
Therefore, when a magnetic head is attached to the outside of the card slot (in order to perform an illegal act), the magnetic card is transferred at an even speed along the position for detecting the magnetic head. Consequently, information recorded on the magnetic card can be read out by the magnetic head attached to the outside of the card slot.
The present invention intends to provide a magnetic card transaction apparatus which is configured such that a magnetic card inserted or ejected from a card slot cannot be read out by a magnetic head attached to the outside of the card slot.